Tag Archives: life coach

My evolution into becoming an embodied and empowered singer has been exciting, scary at times, thrilling, and enlightening. I trust my story will inspire you to take those steps to make your dreams a full-blown reality. My journey just keeps going, and just keeps getting better. and better!!

When I was 30, I began working with my first life coach and regularly sang as I walked into her office for a session. She used to tell me, ‘Laura, I could listen to you sing alllllll day long! Your voice is like buttah!’ Hearing her words and feeling the love that she shared them with gave me courage to begin opening up. Eventually I chose to listen to the small voice within which kept telling me to go to Karaoke to get over my fear of singing in front of others.

Within 1 month I was bored with Karaoke and decided that I wanted to start a reggae band. I found two young guys on craigslist with a similar vision and together, over the next 6 months, we built a 10 piece band called Mosaic Foundation!

I was the lead singer, co~wrote our songs, managed and booked the band all while being a single Mom who was supporting my family as a freelance business development consultant.

My experience with Mosaic Foundation pushed me so far outside of my comfort zone.. it was exhilarating, amazing, challenging and totally uncomfortable at times! I heard the voices of doubt, fear, self-judgment and judgment from others. I still worried that I wasn’t good enough as I continued to look outside of myself for approval. I walked away from the band after 18 months. (Stay tuned to find out why ;))

My journey to greater confidence in my creative endeavors and to self-empowerment has not been easy. It has taken a concerted effort on my part to become absolutely diligent about noticing where my focus is, what I’m thinking about and then shifting my thoughts in the moment. I have more and more become the WITNESS to my internal dialogue in new and powerful ways.

I have made a commitment to myself to listen to my heart, and that subtle voice inside that may not be very loud, but keeps showing up over and over again (in my heart, in my head, on the computer, out on the street, in a magazine or book.. you know the one!)

Here’s the thing.. for most of us, our lives, businesses, legacies are developed over time by choosing one thing, then the next, then the next.

I used to want it to just HAPPEN ALREADY! I mean… Haven’t I DONE ENOUGH WORK YET? Haven’t I SUFFERED and TOILED enough already?! When will it be MY TIME to SHINE?! And when will I get that much-needed BREAK to leapfrog to the next level?!

I also realized that I was showing up as a victim once I started to ask myself (or be asked by my twin sistar, my coach, and other empowered people I surround myself with), ‘Where’s your power when you try to blame someone else for where you haven’t gotten to yet, what you haven’t achieved, what you haven’t done?’

Hmmmm…. great question!

Here’s what I know to be true: If it all happened at once it might not work out so well, because we need to build new muscles in order to hold the gigantic space that Universe, God/Goddess, Creation is calling us to hold.

Everyone has their own journey.. ENJOY the journey and forgive yourself when you start to compare yourself to others and feel crappy about your own evolution/transformation!

We all have our unique set of gifts and challenges..

As all of this was marinating and percolating within me, I decided to put together a small group of ladies to collaborate, write songs and sing together. Through this divine guidance, I channelled a song I now call Get Up.

The chorus poured out of me: “Get up get up right now, get out of your way. The world is calling you, to leave your greatest legacy!”

This has since become a powerful mantra for me and many others to remind us to get up and get out of our way so we can do our greatest work in the world.

Remember, the Universe is in fact conspiring to shower you with blessings. Every challenge is an opportunity your SOUL has created for you to shine most brightly in this moment and always.

I find that mantras are powerful vibration and energy-boosters that I now integrate regularly into my experience. Tapping into your creativity daily makes a huge positive impact on your attitude and keeps you connected with your essence, so you can be maximally effective in all areas of your life.

Lately, my muse has been calling me back to the stage. The mantras I’ve been channeling have given a potent boost to my life and to the lives of many others, and I’m ready now to share them in an even larger capacity.

In releasing my debut EP, I am ‘gettin’ up and out of my own way’ to bring to life a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl: to share positive empowering messages with the world through words, sound and music!

The lessons have been numerous, and here are a few I trust will inspire YOU too:

I’ve become skilled at moving through the discomfort while continuing to live my life at the same time

I’ve gotten so much stronger in my ability to self-manage

The ‘gremlins’ that chattered away actually created space for me to see clearly how I’m holding back in my life and how I can become more empowered

I’ve touched in on more of what I desire to feel and experience when performing as well as a few things that I can do to better prepare myself

Clarity on my ideal performance: it looks and feels like me showing up fully expressed, whatever that means in the moment, courageously and unapologetically, allowing the inspiration of the moment to move through me free and clear, and having the courage to really go there with my voice, my body, my spirit.. to be so fully in the moment, so fully held by the experience, connected within and connected to the other players sharing the stage with me, the sound person, the audience, that the freedom I experience from this place carries everyone who bears witness to a higher place 🙂 and even if it doesn’t, I feel empowered and uplifted by my courage to be the fully expressed me 🙂

What strategies, tools, and support have led you to a greater space of empowerment in your life? Basically, when you’re “down,” what helps you GET UP?!!

Share your remedies, tools and experiences in the comments below!

Many blessings along your journey and keep getting UP (out of bed.. AND out of your own way)!

If you love DANCE, MUSIC & CONSCIOUSNESS… We’d be honored for you to watch our 5 minute TEDx video! Share this video with those you know it will inspire. Transcript: Sarah: I am constantly expanding My container is huge In fact, it’s infinite The scientists call me “dark energy”. They cannot see or detect me, but they know I am here. Every part of me is essential to my being. I am Laura and Sarah: Sarah, Laura, Sarah, Laura, Sarah, Laura I am Laura And I am Sarah We are The Haykel Twins Laura: We were invented right here in Buffalo, NY Our Mother’s Family came from Eastern Europe And our Father’s, from the Middle East And somewhere along the lines of our ancestry on both sides of the family, there was a vision: to create a better future for the generations to come. Sarah: Much like the elusive dark energy that’s constantly expanding this great universe, there too is a life force energy moving through each one of us, moving us forward to Choose, Create and Live our best lives. Laura: Four days after our 16th birthday, I dropped out of school and left home. I felt trapped, like … Continue reading →